The embodiments described herein relate generally to a drive mechanism for a vehicle, and more specifically, to an apparatus and method associated with a speed reducing device for use with a drive motor to provide a drive mechanism for a vehicle.
Various types of drive mechanisms are used to rotate a variety of wheels and or tracks to advance a vehicle for a variety of applications. Such applications include material transport, mining, excavation and mass transit and the drive mechanisms may include braking mechanisms.
One common application is a mining car. Typically the mining car includes a plurality of wheels, with one or more wheels driven by the drive mechanism. One typical mining car has four wheels with each wheel being driven. Typically a four wheel mining car has a first motor, typically an electric motor, positioned on the left side of the car and a second motor, typically an electric motor, positioned on the right side of the car. Each of the electric motors propels the wheels on the respective right and left sides of the car.
Typically the electric motors rotate at much higher rotational speed than the wheels necessitating a first gear reduction box adjacent the motor, a second gear reduction box adjacent the wheel and a third gear reduction box between the second gear box and the wheel
To provide braking to the car, typically the car includes a separate brake adjacent the motor, between the first gear reduction box and the second gear reduction box to stop the front and rear, right or left wheels. The brake must be of sufficient strength to stop both the front and rear wheels.
The environment in which the mining car is used provides challenges to the durability of the car. In particular mining dust tends to migrate through seals into the gears and bearings of the gear reduction boxes. Further, the repair of the mining car typically requires expensive disassembly of the car and its components. Further components are large and expensive to fabricate and difficult to disassemble and replace. Further many large, expensive and complex components and assemblies must be manufactured and stored adjacent the mining site so that repairs can be quickly made.
The present invention is directed to alleviate at least some of these problems with the prior art.